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Shannon Thomas LCSW
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Healing from Hidden Abuse: A Journey Through the Stages of Recovery from Psychological Abuse Audio CD – Unabridged, 1 Mar. 2021

by Shannon Thomas Lcsw (Author), Tantor Audio (Publisher)
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Within every community, toxic people can be found hiding in families, couples, companies, and places of worship. The cryptic nature of psychological abuse involves repetitious mind games played by one individual or a group of people. Psychological abuse leaves no bruises. There are no broken bones. There are no holes in the walls. The bruises, brokenness, and holes are held tightly within the target of the abuse.
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  1. Language
    English
  2. Publisher
    Tantor Audio
  3. Publication date
    1 Mar. 2021
  4. Dimensions
    13.21 x 14.48 cm
  5. ISBN-13
    979-8200461721
  6. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08Z33QZ3X
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tantor Audio; Unabridged edition (1 Mar. 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8200461721
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.21 x 14.48 cm
  • Customer reviews:

About the author

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Shannon Thomas LCSW

Shannon Thomas LCSW

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Shannon Thomas, LCSW is the international bestselling author of Healing from Hidden Abuse: A Journey Through the Stages of Recovery from Psychological Abuse and Exposing Financial Abuse: When Money is a Weapon, and the owner/lead therapist of an award-winning counseling practice. Thomas is the co-founder of Keep Dreaming Big Project, a IRS-approved 501 (c)(3), which grants life-enriching wishes for survivors of abuse.

Bridging clinical advice with pop culture language, Thomas approaches her writing from the lens of a certified trauma therapist and as a fellow survivor of psychological and financial abuse. Her first book, Healing from Hidden Abuse, an international bestseller, has been published in several languages and serves as a road map for book studies and groups in multiple countries and across the United States. Thomas also developed the "Six Stages of Healing from Hidden Abuse" model, which has been met with favorable reviews and high applause from readers and mental health professionals worldwide.

Thomas is a content expert in media outlets including The Oprah Magazine, Associated Press, Business Insider, Reader's Digest, Yahoo!, Yahoo! Finance, USA Today, and Teen Vogue.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
3,196 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book straightforward and informative for anyone in recovery from abuse. They also say it helps them understand why happy, successful, and confident people can get abuse.

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UsefulnessComplexity
31 customers mention ‘Usefulness’31 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very informative, useful, and encouraging. They say the author skillfully offers a practical framework on how to work with people who have addictions. Readers also appreciate the original thinking and how it helps them relate to many situations. They also say it brings clarity into their recovery and validates their experience.

"...I found it a real eye opener, and it has helped me be so much more aware when dealing with people...." Read more

"...a social worker, who has practical experience, and gives straightforward practical advice...." Read more

"Well written and very supportive. Gives clearer perspective on one's experiences and helps you get out of suffering in isolation. Highly recommended...." Read more

"This book is very helpful if you are recovering from been with a person with a Narcissistic Personality Disorder, the is helpful advice at different..." Read more

18 customers mention ‘Complexity’16 positive2 negative

Customers find the book straightforward, logical, and clear. They also say it's the best book they've read so far, and simple to take in bulletin points.

"...It doesn't go into deep psychological concepts to great depths, it's simple, practical and helpful...." Read more

"Best I’ve read. Concise and similar to Dr. Ramani’s youtube series." Read more

"Well written and very supportive. Gives clearer perspective on one's experiences and helps you get out of suffering in isolation. Highly recommended...." Read more

"A very well written book, by a mental health professional, outlining what emotional / verbal abuse is, and how you can help yourself recover from it...." Read more

Pages of the book fall out as you turn the pages. Not very well made!
1 out of 5 stars
Pages of the book fall out as you turn the pages. Not very well made!
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Top reviews from United Kingdom

sugarbelle
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for everyone
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 July 2019
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I thought this was a great book. We have all encountered emotionally abusive people in our lives and this will give you an insight into what makes them tick. I think we sometimes wrongly think that kindness and understanding will bring round the nastiest of people. But this book enlightened me to the fact that narcissistic/ sociopath type personalities cannot be changed. I initially read the book to help me with trauma in my childhood, but as I read on, the personality traits described made me realise that someone I know in the present also has this personality type, as it described them perfectly. I had cut them out of my life and I now realise I made the right decision as the author explains that they will never change, so I feel justified in that. It also informs you how to be aware of these personality types and how to deal with them if you are not able to avoid them, such as at work. I found it a real eye opener, and it has helped me be so much more aware when dealing with people. There are handy further reading notes at the end of the book too. All in all, very enlightening.
26 people found this helpful
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Johnny Hedgehog
5.0 out of 5 stars Practical help with narcisstic abuse.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 July 2018
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I have read at least 10 books on psychological abuse, this is the one that I'd recommend the most. It doesn't go into deep psychological concepts to great depths, it's simple, practical and helpful. Shannon is a social worker, who has practical experience, and gives straightforward practical advice. She has to explain concepts but doesn't use words that are two feet long. Don't expect to have a phd in psychology at the end of reading it but if you've been psychological abused it just might be the key to your recovery. Good luck.
37 people found this helpful
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Shopaholic
5.0 out of 5 stars The only book on narcissism
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 April 2023
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Best I’ve read. Concise and similar to Dr. Ramani’s youtube series.
3 people found this helpful
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funklover
4.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended. It might just save your life
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 February 2017
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Well written and very supportive. Gives clearer perspective on one's experiences and helps you get out of suffering in isolation. Highly recommended. It might just save your life.
3 people found this helpful
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Jackie
5.0 out of 5 stars Sound Advice
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 February 2023
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This book is very helpful if you are recovering from been with a person with a Narcissistic Personality Disorder, the is helpful advice at different stages of recovery. It offers encouragement to the Survivor.
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Sarah P.
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly insightful and a saviour
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2020
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I liked how I could relate to so many situations and how I was able to educate myself on the terminology to help me describe to myself the abuse I went through. Many things I did not understand or see for what it was I was able to now realise from reading this book.
2 people found this helpful
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M. E. Stanway
5.0 out of 5 stars Review of Healing from Hidden Abuse
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 April 2018
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Like Emma, a previous reviewer, I have enjoyed this book and am thankful to Shannon for writing it. It made me cry on several occasions because she obviously understands how I feel. I particularly like the letter to family and friends that she puts at the end of the book and as a result I am giving copies to my close family who can't understand what I have been talking about because they have never experienced the person in the way I have. This is an excellent book for people who have been in an abusive relationship because it is written by someone who has also been abused herself and she provides steps in which to move forward from her training as a counsellor. I can highly recommend this book.
10 people found this helpful
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Nancy Allbright
3.0 out of 5 stars Be careful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 September 2019
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Triggers you in terms of the abuse you have suffered. However, it is insightful and has some good quotes etc.
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Top reviews from other countries

Francesca
5.0 out of 5 stars So intensely true
Reviewed in Italy on 21 July 2023
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I read this book hoping to better understand my suffering and my post-breakup situation with my toxic ex. This book made me feel less alone and made me realize how many things I gave up because of him. He was the one I loved the most and I always tried to justify his actions towards me, without really paying attention to myself. Thank you Shannon for making me feel like I'm not crazy.
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dspace
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
Reviewed in the United States on 20 March 2021
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Just started reading my copy of this book and cannot recommend it enough for it's accuracy in detailing so many issues of this very important subject. All descriptions of the book's good points that I found printed on the cover are accurate and the resonance with personal experiences is uncannily accurate, and the complexity of this subject really is well documented and so incredibly well understood and written about by this author. This book has a very supportive and maturely compassionate listing of the affects of this kind of abuse and many different complicated ways this kind of abuse takes place that are not seen nor understood even by trained therapists unless they specifically have had this particular kind of training for psychological trauma/abuse. A very good book easy to read with important information for everyone whether or not they have experienced this form of abuse. We all could benefit from being educated about it to better understand and have compassion for the many who are affected by it and we can better advocate for those affected by recognizing the signs of it and helping stop this kind of abuse from proliferating and doing any more harm.
I've now finished reading this book and listening to the audio version of it and can confirm what I saw from the beginning that it is a very accurate description of the phenomenon of psychological abuse right down to words I'd been using to describe my experiences with it so that was quite a reaffirming experience. The complexity of the subject is so well treated in this book that it left me wanting the author to continue and will be a source of reference and study for me going forward so I got the ebook version too because it will be easy to search for topics that are all throughout the writing even in addition to the headings of various sections, there's just so much information in the writing that highlighting will also be helpful. The comparison of the subject to dealing with deprogramming from a cult was something I'd thought of too and a very important aspect of the book is that it treats the subject as situational rather than looking for some particular biological or chemical reason for the disastrous affects of being the victim/target of psychological abuse and this factor of looking at the entire situation and all players in it is something that is sorely missing from modern psychological theories and practice from what I've seen. One can imagine too and probably do the research to find these kinds of patterns of psychological abuse all throughout history so it's nothing new and a very good idea to get educated to it which is recommended in the book as stage 2 of the process of healing. Apparently there are also study groups organized around this book and they can be found from a reference in the book to the author's website that is the title of the book. I hope to see many more such works by this author and others further delineating this important subject it is ground breaking and breathtaking in it's clarity and exposing this extremely important subject in my opinion.
20 people found this helpful
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shabeer naha
5.0 out of 5 stars An eye opener for a victim in abusive relationship
Reviewed in India on 23 June 2021
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This book changed my life..
Post divorce , I happened to read this book by chance. It changed my perspective about an abusive relationship with a BPD-Borderline Personality Disorder
(Diagnosed after divorce)
Even knowing about her BPD condition , I was still under the belief that her love was genuine most times and she had gone astray unintentionally which led to divorce.

The book opened up the exact patterns of abuse my Ex was practising during our relationship and made me realise the depth and the reasons for co-dependency I had with my partner for a shorter period post divorce.
A true guide for a person to come out of any abusive relationship they are undergoing.
An incredible eyeopener .Thanks a million Dr Shannon
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Customer0xF5
5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opening and focus on recovery
Reviewed in Germany on 14 July 2020
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This book is well written from the perspective of professional expertise as a licensed therapist and personal experience. In the first part Shannon Thomas answers many common but important questions. Some are:
Who is a psychological abuser?
What is the difference between Narcissist, Sociopath, and Psychopath?
Do abusers know what they are doing?
Where, when, how, and why do they harm others?
Why can't they change?
The aha-moments of this part finally lead to a sobering realisation. The relationship was all a lie and the abusive behaviour was intentional.
The description of the six phases of recovery begins on page 65. It is the largest part of the book.
1. Despair: Life of survivors has become unmanageable
2. Education: Terms related to psychological abuse are explained like Gaslighting, Smear Campaign, Flying Monkeys, Narcissistic Offense, Intermittent Reinforcement, Idealize, Devalue, and Discard Phases
3. Awakening: Become aware of the abuse dynamics; you are not crazy; you are not alone; toxic people are everywhere
4. Boundaries: Healing can occur when boundaries are implemented and enforced. No Contact or Detached Contact are key elements
5. Restoration: Regain an enjoyable life, restore financial stability, physical health, emotional well-being, replace material items
6. Maintenance: Guard against future abuse, carefully select people who belong to the inner circle, shift away from old thought patterns and habits
The final part begins on page 187 with the Personal Reflections Journal. Here the reader is encouraged to write down personal episodes, events, insights, and opinions to strengthen their comprehension.
In addition to the profound educational content, this book was particularly helpful to me because it also contains the practical part. Writing things down allowed me to clarify my own experience with toxic people. Journaling is a powerful method of therapy.
3 people found this helpful
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natalie
5.0 out of 5 stars I've recommended this book to everyone I know
Reviewed in Canada on 18 July 2018
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Can't recommend this book enough! Even after having a good understand of psychological abuse this book has helped to clarify so much. The information in here is invaluable to anyone who has experienced this type of emotional harm. Its well written, easy to understand and uses examples that you can easily parallel to your own life. Two thumbs up! I've recommended it to all my friends.
16 people found this helpful
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